


Chris Wolstenholme and the tiny screaming ball of fur (aka kitten)

by cherrylng



Category: Muse (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dogs, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Humor, Kitten, M/M, Snark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-12-09 08:22:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11665278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrylng/pseuds/cherrylng
Summary: Chris Wolstenholme is more than proud to say that he’s a dog person. It’s not that he hates cats, it’s just that he doesn’t get why you have to waste time and patience to earn the affections from a cat. Then one day Chris learns the lesson of where a dog’s loyalty can lie the hard way.





	Chris Wolstenholme and the tiny screaming ball of fur (aka kitten)

Chris Wolstenholme is more than proud to say that he’s a dog person. It’s not that he hates cats, it’s just that he doesn’t get why you have to waste time and patience to earn the affections from a cat. As far as he knows, cats have minded their own business and did fine without humans for a long time and still do to this day.   
  
Hell, it bloody learned how to domesticate itself, that’s how far cats are willing to remind humans that they did this as what historians claimed to be out of mutual benefits!  
  
Dogs are easier to understand for Chris. Dogs love you as soon as you give them kindness. Dogs are loyal. Dogs understand human emotions. What more could be asked from man’s best friend?  
  
Then one day Chris learns the lesson of where a dog’s loyalty can lie the hard way.  
  
He did not expect that returning home from work involves Matt trying to subtly, then obviously, have him avoid the kitchen. And when he does get there after being convinced that Matt is hiding something bad from him, it is to the sight of a tiny red and white furball munching noisily from a small plate on the table.  
  
“It wasn’t me who decided to keep the kitten. It was Kevin!” Matt tells him.  
  
Chris gives Matt an incredulous look.  
  
“You’re letting Kevin the dog take all the blame?” he says in an even voice.  
  
“I took Kevin out of a walk in the park nearby and then he suddenly bolted off,” Matt explains to his boyfriend. “When I finally found him, he was cleaning the kitten that you’re staring at. It was living in a cardboard box, and not a sturdy one at that. He wouldn’t leave no matter what until I picked the kitten up and had to bring it all the way home with us.”  
  
He doesn’t want to believe that sort of bullshit, but judging at how Kevin is seems to be fussing on the kitten, his boyfriend’s story might not be far off from the truth.  
  
“I thought we agreed on having one pet,” Chris says. “A single dog works fine between the two of us caring for it.”  
  
“We bought the kitten all the way home. At least we should let it stay here rather than out there,” Matt lowers his voice. “Back in the cardboard box that wouldn’t shelter it properly. Where it could have walked out onto the road and a car might hit it.”  
  
Chris wants to say that they can put it in an animal shelter instead, but finds the words that he wants to say stuck in his throat. Matt does not often try and guilt trip him, but when he does, it’s quite an effective move to make him feel like a dick if he doesn’t do what he says.  
  
He sighs, rubbing his face. “You really want to keep the kitten?”  
  
Matt nods eagerly, and even Kevin joins in too in wagging his tail.  
  
In the end, Chris relents and says that the kitten can stay. It’s two against one, that’s a defeat by democratic vote if it’s anything, even if the other vote is by a dog.   
  
\-----  
  
Matt decided to name the kitten Bowie, as its odd coloured eyes remind him of his musical hero. To be fair, Chris was the one who named the dog Kevin and he doesn’t have much interest over the kitten. He even told Matt so.  
  
Bowie the kitten is all Matt’s, so the small animal is his full responsibility, to which Matt doesn’t mind. It’s quite the sight to see the shorter man turn all motherly towards the tiny creature. He feeds the kitten through a careful diet of wet and dried food, and with milk specially made for kittens, since somehow, Matt knows that the kitten has yet to be weaned from its mother’s milk.   
  
He vaguely remembers Matt informing him it had something to do with the shape of its tail or some other naff. Chris doesn’t really bother with knowing about it.  
  
Again, to be fair, Chris never had a cat before, so he can’t tell how old the kitten is at all. To him, it’s just a tiny ball of fur. A tiny, screaming ball of fur. The kitten’s loud yowls is akin to almost like how a baby’s cry sound like. It’s more like it’s screaming when no one is giving it attention.  
  
Luckily, so far such incidents are few and far between, as Matt and Kevin are quick enough to be there to give whatever the kitten needs.  
  
Chris doesn’t have any problems with Bowie the kitten, no; the problem is that both his boyfriend and the dog are spoiling the kitten with their attention and affection. He even once saw Kevin give the kitten a ride on its back! What has the world gone into?  
  
He had rather let Matt take care of the kitten than himself. After all, Chris doesn’t know a single ounce in caring for a cat, much less a kitten that still needs to feed on milk and needs to be taught some skills.   
  
But then came the business meeting from out of town that Matt has to attend, and through effective persuasion, Chris is right here in the kitchen, leaning against the doorway while watching the kitten eat.  
  
It’s his second day into taking care of Bowie, and he still can’t believe that he got roped in to take care of a kitten.   
  
At least it’s just taking care of both pets by himself for two days, and Matt will be home soon by the evening today and he’ll be free from the little terror by then. Apparently, according to Matt, watching the kitten eat is something that he does to make sure that Bowie finishes its dish of food and that it’s not Kevin who gobbled it all up.  
  
He’s doing what Matt is doing, standing watch while the kitten eats, not because he wants to take such good care over Bowie, but because he had witnessed Kevin eat anything and everything before. So it’s better to keep an eye on Kevin while the kitten eats in peace.  
  
In a rare display of self-control, Kevin is sitting by Chris’ side, watching tentatively as the kitten finishes up its meal. So maybe all his worries are for naught. Still, it’s better to be safe than sorry.  
  
Once it has finished licking itself clean, it approaches to where Chris and Kevin are, rubbing its body against Chris’ legs.  
  
Chris picks the kitten up, giving it a stern look.  
  
“Alright, you shouldn’t eat much more until dinner. Your stomach’s pretty much bulging,” he says, poking at its belly.  
  
The kitten meows at him.  
  
It’s been a couple of months since Bowie has moved into their house. It has grown in size considerably since then, and yet, it’s still so… small in his hands. It’s no wonder why Kevin is a lot more careful around the kitten.  
  
Chris sighs, then takes Bowie with him to the living room. Catsitting for his boyfriend’s kitten meant he can’t use his seasonal tickets to attend a football match that he had been planning to go to today. At least he can watch the match live on TV.  
  
He puts Bowie down right next to the box of assorted toys that Matt had bought for it. Once the kitten is distracted with playing with a cuddly toy, Chris goes and settles down on the sofa, getting ready for the match.  
  
It’s a good thing that Bowie is still too young to jump up to the TV stand, otherwise it would be an annoying sight to see a kitten batting and clawing at the screen.  
  
What he doesn’t realise is that being the only human in the house now, and with no Matt around to play with it, Bowie decided to go to where Chris is and jumps up to the sofa.  
  
“Hey—hey! Get down!” Chris exclaims. “You’re not supposed to be up here!”   
  
The kitten doesn’t listen, succeeding in climbing up. Chris picks up the kitten and drops it on the floor. Bowie climbs back up again, much to Chris’ consternation. When Bowie climbs up again for the third time after dropping it on the floor, he suspects that the kitten thinks that they’re playing a game.   
  
“I’m not playing with you. The sofa is off limits.”  
  
Chris was busy in getting Bowie off the sofa when the broadcaster announces a goal from Rotherham and Chris lets out a loud “No!” amidst the cheering crowd.  
  
“You fucker! You made me miss the shot!”   
  
Bowie doesn’t really care much of whatever is going on, only staring at Chris with its bright little eyes, tail swishing back and forth, expecting more of his participation to play with it. Much to the kitten’s disappointment, he doesn’t.  
  
Sighing in frustration, Chris collapses back down on the sofa with a frown on his face. His favourite football team may have scored a goal, but he isn’t already happy that he missed the chance to go to the match because of some annoying little kitten, much less to witness it with his own eyes.  
  
When Bowie gets up to the sofa and mews at him, Chris blatantly ignores it. He is fuming, but he isn’t going as far as to hurt a poor little animal. That’s a line that he won’t cross. As long as it doesn’t do anything funny again, he doesn’t give a shit of what the kitten is doing to distract him from the match.  
  
At some point, the kitten decided to walk on top of his chest. Chris glares at Bowie, who blinks at him as its eyelids droop down and it isn’t steady on its paws. It looks more than ready to have a nap.  
  
“I won’t sit up and you won’t scratch me. Deal?”  
  
The kitten purrs, its tiny paws kneading him and his shirt, causing Chris to wince. Tiny or not, the claws hurt like a  _motherfucker_. It’s a good thing that the kneading is temporary and soon Bowie settles down, curling into a ball as it goes to sleep. Chris tries not to stare at its sleeping face as he focuses on the match on TV.  
  
When he sees another goal has been achieved by Rotherham, he wanted to jump up to his feet and cheer, but he will have to settle for staying still and cheering from within with a bright smile on his face.  
  
\-----  
  
Chris frowns inwardly, trying to figure out with his foggy mind of what had woken him up. He can hear the audible sound of a camera snap and someone giggling. Who could have entered the house only to take pictures of him asleep and not even try to hold back at laughing at him? Unless…  
  
With some effort, he opened his eyes and sees Matt grinning ear to ear, his phone aimed at him.  
  
“Good evening, you adorable sleepyheads,” he greets Chris, still taking pictures and still giggling.  
  
Chris lets out a groan, rubbing his face to wipe any trace of sleepiness off of him.  
  
He remembered finishing watching the match before switching channels. Then he closed his eyes to take a short nap… And now Matt has returned home, standing here cooing at him and Kevin standing next to the shorter man. Chris stares down and sees that Bowie the kitten is still asleep, nice and snug on his chest.  
  
“I could put this on a cat product commercial and the both of you would get fan mail,” Matt says.  
  
“I didn’t want to wake it up while watching football,” Chris says, grimacing his face at the sight of the sleeping kitten.  
  
“Awwww look at him, Kevin, he’s gone soft,” Matt coos.  
  
Kevin barks, wagging his tail.  
  
“I didn’t go soft on this little fucker,” Chris protests. “I kept my promise to babysit your cat. That’s all.”  
  
Right as he said that, Bowie wakes up. The kitten stares at Chris first before turning around to see Matt and Kevin. It yawns, stretching before standing on its paws and calls for its owner. Matt picks up Bowie and coddles it.  
  
“And I can see that you’ve done a splendid job in looking after my little Bowie,” Matt says, cooing and cuddling the kitten. Chris gives a huff, finally able to sit up straight with the kitten off his chest.  
  
“Only because you forced me into it. Next time I’ll say no.” While he is aware that that won’t stop Matt from trying to rope him into it the second or third time, that doesn’t mean that he won’t try to avoid getting into this again.  
  
Matt hums before he leans down and kisses Chris by the cheek.  
  
“You’re the best boyfriend for taking care of my kitten.”  
  
For the second time that day, Chris has a smile on his face, a more joyful one than the first.  
  
Chris Wolstenholme sees himself as a dog person, but judging by the fact that Matt is happy towards him and the fact that his kitten is still alive, maybe he is capable enough to look after a cat. Not that he’ll give catsitting another try ever again.


End file.
